How to Build Strong Customer Relationships in Food Service

In food service, a supplier can deliver a good product at a competitive price and still lose the customer.

A restaurant may change suppliers because deliveries are unreliable. A hotel chef may stop recommending an ingredient because the product performs differently from one batch to another. A café owner may feel frustrated when a salesperson appears regularly to collect orders but is difficult to reach when something goes wrong. These situations reveal something important about customer relationships.

For food service operators, the experience of working with a supplier matters as much as the products they purchase. Every order, delivery, conversation and problem contributes to how customers judge that relationship. Building strong customer relationships therefore requires salespeople to understand how their customers operate and consistently demonstrate that they can be relied upon.

Understanding What HoReCa Customers Value

Hotels, restaurants and cafés operate differently. Even within the same segment, customer priorities can vary considerably. A hotel purchasing manager may be concerned about supply continuity, pricing agreements and purchasing procedures. An Executive Chef may place greater importance on ingredient quality, consistency and suitability for particular dishes. Meanwhile, an independent restaurant owner may be managing purchasing, staffing, kitchen operations and customer service personally.

Food service salespeople need to understand these differences before deciding how to support each customer. Five areas deserve particular attention:

1. Supply reliability

A missing ingredient can disrupt kitchen preparation, menu availability and customer service. Salespeople should understand which products are essential to daily operations, how frequently they are ordered and what happens when stock is unavailable.

2. Product consistency

Chefs need ingredients that perform as expected. Changes in taste, texture, yield or preparation results can affect the dishes they serve. Understanding how a product is used helps salespeople appreciate why consistency matters to the customer.

3. Food cost and profitability

Operators are concerned about the cost of running their businesses. The purchase price of an ingredient is important, but so are portion yield, preparation time, wastage and the selling price of the finished dish. Salespeople who understand these considerations can have more meaningful commercial conversations.

4. Operational convenience

Ordering procedures, delivery arrangements, packaging sizes and payment processes all influence the customer’s experience. What seems like a minor inconvenience to a supplier may create unnecessary work for a busy kitchen or purchasing team.

5. Business priorities

Some customers want to expand their menus. Others are trying to improve consistency, manage rising costs or simplify operations. Salespeople should establish which priorities matter to each customer rather than assuming everyone wants the same thing.

The starting point is simple: understand how the customer runs their business and where your products and services fit into their daily operations.

Strategies for Strengthening Customer Relationships

Good relationships develop through repeated experiences. Customers notice whether salespeople understand their requirements, honour their commitments and remain responsive after an order has been placed. Here are four areas food service salespeople can work on:

1. Understand the Customer’s Business Beyond Their Orders

A salesperson who knows what a customer buys has useful information. A salesperson who understands why the customer buys it, how it is used and what affects future demand can contribute much more. During customer visits, make time to learn about the operation. For example, a salesperson serving a restaurant group could explore:

• Which menu items contribute most to sales?
• Which ingredients are critical to maintaining those dishes?
• What causes difficulties during peak operating periods?
• Are there seasonal changes in demand?
• What challenges does the kitchen or purchasing team face?

These questions should arise naturally during business conversations. Customers are unlikely to appreciate being taken through a lengthy questionnaire during a busy service period. The salesperson should also pay attention to what changes between visits. A revised menu, a new outlet, different purchasing volumes or changes in kitchen personnel may affect the customer’s requirements.

Practical action: After each customer visit, record one new business insight and decide whether it requires a follow-up action. Over time, these observations help the salesperson develop a better understanding of the account.

2. Provide Value That Customers Can Actually Use

Food service customers receive product recommendations regularly. What makes a recommendation useful is its relevance to the customer’s operation. Suppose a restaurant wants to introduce a new pasta dish but is concerned about preparation time during lunch service. Rather than immediately promoting a new sauce, the salesperson could explore the kitchen’s preparation process, expected portions and cost considerations.

A useful response might involve arranging a product trial, discussing preparation methods or working with a chef to evaluate whether the proposed ingredient meets the restaurant’s requirements. Other ways of supporting customers include:

Product application support: Demonstrate how an ingredient performs in the customer’s intended recipe or preparation method.

Menu costing discussions: Help customers understand portion costs, yields and possible sources of wastage using reliable product and preparation information.

Relevant product recommendations: Suggest alternatives when they genuinely meet the customer’s quality, operational or commercial needs.

Knowledge sharing: Provide useful information about product handling, preparation techniques or menu applications within the supplier’s area of expertise.

The value of these activities depends on whether they help the customer make a better decision or solve a real problem.

Practical action: Before proposing a product, ask yourself: “What specific customer requirement does this recommendation address?”. If the answer is unclear, further discussion may be needed.

3. Build Trust Through Everyday Service Reliability

A strong customer relationship can be weakened quickly when a supplier repeatedly fails to deliver what was promised. This makes service reliability an important responsibility for salespeople, even when delivery and fulfilment involve other departments.

Consider a restaurant that has ordered ingredients for a weekend promotion. The salesperson learns that one item may not arrive on schedule. Waiting until the customer discovers the problem could leave the kitchen with very little time to respond. A better approach is to check the situation with the supply team, establish what can realistically be delivered and contact the customer early.

Where appropriate, the salesperson can discuss an alternative product, a revised delivery arrangement or another workable solution. The customer may still be disappointed, but timely and accurate communication gives them an opportunity to plan. Three habits make a difference:

Confirm commitments: Make sure delivery dates, quantities, product specifications and special arrangements are clearly understood.

Communicate early: Inform customers when a commitment is at risk, even when the final answer is still being established.

Close the loop: Follow through until the issue is resolved or the customer has received a clear update on the next action.

Avoid making promises simply to reassure the customer. An honest explanation with a realistic next step is more useful than an assurance that cannot be fulfilled.

Practical action: Review outstanding customer issues before your next visit or call. Be prepared to explain what has been done and what remains unresolved.

4. Make Customer Visits Worth Their Time

Regular visits help maintain contact, but frequency alone does not determine the quality of a relationship. A customer may see the same salesperson every week without gaining much value from those interactions.

Before visiting, consider the purpose of the conversation. Is there an unresolved service matter? Has the customer’s purchasing pattern changed? Is there a relevant product application to discuss? Does the customer need information to support an upcoming menu change?

A productive visit may be brief. For example, a salesperson visiting a café might discover that the outlet has reduced orders of a particular beverage ingredient. Instead of immediately asking for a larger order, the salesperson could explore whether the change relates to customer demand, menu adjustments, product performance or stock already on hand. The discussion may reveal an issue that requires attention or a change in the customer’s business. Either outcome provides useful information.

Customer visits should also respect the demands of food service operations. A chef preparing for lunch service or a restaurant manager handling a busy shift may have limited time for discussion.

Practical action: Prepare one clear purpose for each customer visit and finish by confirming any agreed follow-up. A short, relevant conversation can be more valuable than a long visit without direction.

Using Digital Tools to Support Customer Relationships

Digital tools can make customer interactions more convenient, particularly when salespeople manage many accounts. However, technology should support the relationship rather than create additional work for the customer. For example:

Customer records: Keep accurate information about purchasing arrangements, product preferences, key contacts and outstanding issues.

Order information: Review ordering patterns to identify changes that may require a conversation with the customer.

Digital communication: Use agreed channels to confirm arrangements, share relevant information and provide timely updates.

Product resources: Make specifications, application guides and other useful materials accessible when customers need them.

Salespeople should also respect customers’ preferred ways of communicating. Some food operators may welcome digital ordering and messaging. Others may prefer direct contact for urgent matters, technical questions or important commercial decisions. The most useful approach is one that fits the customer’s working practices.

How Sales Leaders Can Strengthen Customer Relationship Management

Customer relationship building should be visible in how sales teams work, rather than appearing only in sales targets or customer satisfaction discussions. Sales leaders can reinforce this through regular field coaching and account reviews. During customer visits, observe whether salespeople understand the customer’s operation, ask relevant questions and follow through on previous commitments.

After the visit, discuss what was learnt. Useful coaching questions include:

1. “What did you learn about the customer’s business during this visit?”
2. “Which customer concern needs our attention?”
3. “How does our recommendation help this customer?”
4. “What have we committed to, and who will follow up?”
5. “What would make our next conversation more useful?”

These discussions help salespeople move beyond routine order-taking towards more purposeful customer management.

Sales leaders can also review practical indicators such as unresolved service issues, repeat ordering patterns, customer complaints and the completion of agreed follow-up actions. These measures do not tell the whole story of a relationship, but they can highlight where further attention is needed.

Conclusion

Strong customer relationships in food service develop through consistent actions over time. Customers need suppliers who understand their operations, provide suitable products, communicate clearly and respond when difficulties arise.

For salespeople, this means preparing more carefully for customer visits, asking better questions, making relevant recommendations and taking responsibility for commitments. For sales leaders, it means coaching these behaviours regularly and ensuring that service problems receive proper attention.

A useful question to ask after your next customer visit is: “Did we give the customer a good reason to continue doing business with us?”. The answer should be reflected in what the customer experiences, not simply in how well the conversation went.